Method of making roofing



Nov. 8, 1932. J. 1 WETTLAUFER 1,886,456

' METHOD 0F MAKING RooFING Filed July 5. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Li "www ATTORNEY NCW 8, 1932- J. WETTLAUFER 1,886,456

METHOD OF MAKING ROOFING Filed July 5. 1929 5 Sheets-sheet 2 B Mmm ATTORN EY Nov, 8, 1932. J. WETTLAUFER METHOD 0F MAKING ROOFING 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 5, 1929 INVENTOR Z455 ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 8, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE JULES L. WETTLAUFER, OF BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS METHOD or Maxine Roorme .Application led July 5, i929. Serial No. 375,996.

This invention relates to building material and more particularly to an improved type of waterproof building material suitable for use as roofing, siding and the like, and to improved methods for making the same.

One of the chiefobjects of the invention is to provide a construction of composition roofing which approximates, in the thickness of the exposed portions, wooden and similar rigid shingles. y

Another object of the invention is to provide rooting of this type which shall be better able to withstand weathering action and otherwise be more lasting than flexible composition roofing as heretofore made.

As is well known the most common form of composition roofing in use at the present time consists of elted sheets impregnated so as to render them water-resistant and coated with asphalt or similar weather and waterproof material, this asphalt being applied as a layer to the fibrous base. Generally, also, comminuted mineral matter, such as crushed slate, is partially embedded in the coating layer to mask the same from the deteriorating influences of the solar rays, and also to provide a decorative finishing surface for the roofing. While roofing of this type is much less expensive than wooden or similar rigid shingles there are certain inherent objections to these so-called felt base prepared rooings, chief of which is the thinness of the product and its consequent lack of texture and shadow casting capabilities. I Among the suggestions that have been brought forward to eliminate or alleviate the undesirable features of the usual form of 'prepared roofing, is the proposal to form shingles or roofing elements of a core of plastic material, usually in the form of asphalt combined with fibrous and other fillers, and associate with this core facing or jacketing sheets of fibrous material in various ways. Roofing made in this way does possess the desired characteristics in regard to texture, but I have found that when sheets of fibrous material are thus associated with a core of hardened plastic material, there is a tendency in time, for the facing sheets to separate or delaminate from the core, particularly at or around the exposed edges, with the result that the roofing is impaired and rendered unsightly by the separation of the fibrous facing sheets from the core body. This delamination is evidently due in part at least to the weathering action upon the exposed fibrous facing sheets.

By my present invention I overcome the aforesaid objections and provide a novel construction in rooiing material employing a felted librous membrane or sheetA as a base and surrounding, at least the exposed portions of the base, with plastic material capable of setting to a more or less hardened condition, so that instead of a construction wherein the core material is confined within sheets of fibrous material, I provide a construction in which the plastic material is formed externally of and surrounds the librous base, the latter acting as a reenforcement for the plastic material and being protected thereby against the action of the elements. Preferably also, inthe new construction as provided by my invention, the plastic material not only covers the lower exposed faces of the base, but is also made to extend around the butt and side edges of the product so as to encase completely the portions of thevbrous supporting sheet which are to be exposed. To produce the novel product as thus briey described, I have devised several ways in which this can be done in a rapid and economical manner and these, togethenwith other features and advantages of the invention, will appear from the more detailed description to follow:

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of roofing element constructedl in accordance with the invention,

- Figure 2 is a transverse section through a roofing element such as shown in Figure 1. at an intermediate stage of its manufacture` Figure 3 is a similar view of an element in its completed form,

,v Figure 4 is an edge view of an element such as shown in Figure 1, Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 of a modified construction,

Figure 6 illustrates one method by which tic material from opposite faces of the plastic material may be associated with the brous supporting sheet,

Figure 7 illustrates conventionally mechanism for operating upon the plastic materlal to combine the same with the supporting s eet,

Figure 8 is a view in cross-section of another form of mechanism that may be employed for this purpose,

taken along 9ct-9a plastic material in substantially the shape desired, directly to the sheet,

Figure 12 is a plan view illustrating a method of producing the novel construction wherein continuous sheets of fibrous material are treated so as to rovidea multiplicity of shingle elements em odying the essential features of the invention, certain parts being omitted for purpose of clearness.

Figure 13 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation showing the manner of cutting through the material in following out the plassheet is consolidated around an edge of the severed elements,

Figure 14 is a similar view illustrating similar mechanism for operating along the marginal edges of the sheet shown in Figure 12 to consolidate around these edges plastic material from opposite faces of the sheet,

Figure 15 is a conventional illustration of the mechanism omitted from Figure 12 and erfnployed in carrying out the process there- 0 Figure 16 is a fragmentary detail in perspective of cutting knives that may be employed in the process of Figure 12 for formmg tab-defining slots in the sheet and foreing the plastic material from opposite faces of the sheet around the 'edges of the slots.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates what I term the base of the novel product constructed in accordance with my invention. A This base may be the ordinary saturated roofing felt, or it may the method of Figure 12, whereby Abe saturated felt coated on one or both faces with asphaltic material and surfaced with crushed slate or other suitable form of comminuted mineral matter. The base or supporting sheet 10 is preferably of a thickness corresponding to that of the ordinary prepared roofing base. The layer of plastic material surrounding the exposed areas of the base is indicated at 11, and preferably is in the form of a continuous membrane extending around the butt edge of the base as well as around the side edges thereof, as indicated in Figures 1 to 5. This plastic layer is composed-essentially of bituminous material combined with brous and other fillers so as to produce a homogeneous plastic mass of suitable workability such that it can be formed into continuous sheets by pressure through forming rolls or by forcing a quantity of the plastic mixture under` pressure through extrusion devices, and enfolded around the edge to be brought into contact with the faces of the supporting sheet to be united therewith, and capable also as already stated, of setting to a more or less hard, though somewhat plastic, condition. To this end a wide variety of and fillers may be employed, but in order that the product shall be possessed of maximum durability, I prefer to employ asphalt or similar bitumen of a melting point from 180 to 220 F., combined with 30 to 50% of various grades of fibrous material, such as rag, news, sawdust, etc., and other solids, such as talc, crushed slate, sand or the like.

of material that may be used to make up the plastic composition, lies in the scrap prepared roofing, such as the waste pieces of asphalt saturated and coated and minerai surfaced roofing felt that accumulates in large quantities at the plants for the manufacture of prepared roofing. In any event, the mixvery satisfactory and most inexpensive source,

bituminous substances ing devices or other forming mechanism, and v formed into continuous sheets or ribbons of predetermined cross-section.. The fibrous base or supporting sheet with which the plastic material is associated, may be either in the form of precut strips or shingles, or it may be in the form of continuous sheets from which a number of completed units may be severed after the plastic material is properly combined therewith and formed into the desired shape'.

VOne manner in which the plastic sheet may` be combined with the fibrous base is illustrated conventionally in Figure 6. As' here shown, the plastic material is delivered between a pair of cooperating rolls 20 which are preferably concave or spool-shaped in longitudinal cross-section,. so as to form the plastic material intoa sheet as shown at 21, varying from maximum thickness at its centre to minimum thickness at its marginal edges. Beyond the forming rolls 20, the fibrous base or supporting sheet indicated at 22 and provided with adhesive coating material such as molten asphalt along the areas which are to receive the plastic material, may be brought into position with its lower edge substantially in contact with one face of the plastic sheet 21, whereupon the plastic sheet may be creased or folded so as to bring the oppositely extending portions thereof into face to face contact with the opposite faces of the base 22, after which the supporting sheet, surrounded by the plastic material, may be fed through suitable press rolls yor similar mechanism for afliXing the plastic material to the base.

If desired, the plastic material may be formed in a sheet of uniform thickness, the tapering of the plastic material on opposite faces of the supporting sheet being effected after the plastic layer is folded around the supporting sheet and simultaneously with the pressing of the plastic material into firm engagement therewith. Figure 2 illustrates the appearance of the material, after the plastic layer of uniform thickness has been applied to the base, but before it has been brought to tapered form. Mechanism for shaping the plastic material onopposite faces of the base is illustrated conventionally in Figure 7, wherein a pair of press rolls 24, mounted with their axes vertically inclined one to another, is employed to force the plastic material 21a into tapering cross-section and bring it into firm union with the supporting sheet 22a. According to this procedure also, a press roll 25 may be arranged to act upon the lower margin of the plastic material to form the butt edge of the completed element in any desired form. Thus, as shown in Figure 7, a concavular or grooved roller may be used to round the butt edge of the element. If desired, this roller may be of uniform cross-section so as to form a flat instead of a round butt edge. This feature of being able to make the butt edge of any desired form, which accrues from the construction of the present invention, wherein the plastic material is outermost, I consider to be rather important, since where the plastic material is enclosed between facing sheets of fibrous material, the butt edge of the finished element usually can take only one form. Another feature that may be here mentioned in this connection is that with the plastic material outermost, the press rolls 24 may be formed with numerous scattered protrusions and intervening depressions of any desired shape, so as to impart an irregular surface appearance to the finished product.

Another mechanism whereby the plastic material may conveniently be associated with the fibrous supporting base, is illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 9a. As here shown, a pair of plates 30 hinged to one another as at 31, may be provided so that upon closing of the plates the plastic material 2lb will be enfolded over the lower edge of the supporting sheet 22?) and formed into desired-crosssection between the confronting faces of the the tab-defining slots in the precut element being worked upon, the purpose of these fingers being to force the plastic material from the opposite kfaces of the element to consolidate around the edges of the tab-defining slots in the precut base.

It will be understood that inasmuch as the plastic material is more or less adhesive c while it is being worked upon, it may be necessary or desirable in many instances, to heat the forming mechanism such as the rolls 24 and 25 of Figure 7 or the hinged plates 30 of Figures 8, 9 and 9a, or to supply the op-. erative faces of the several forms of mechanism with non-adhesive material such as clay water, in order to prevent the plastic material from adhering to these parts.

Instead of forming the plastic material into sheets by means of press rolls as shown in Figure 6, the plastic material of desired consistency, may be forced by pressure through an extruding device, such as illustrated at 35 in Figure 10. This extruding device may, if desired, form the discharge end of the kneading or macerating mechanism in which the plastic mixture is formed. The orifice of the extruder 35 may be designed either to form the plastic material of taperedcross-section, as shown in Figure 10, or of uniform thickness. Also, if desired, the discharge nozzle or orifice of the eXtruder may take a U form, as shown at 36 in Figure 11, so, as to deliver the plastic material at once from the forming mechanism in position to be brought into engagement with the supporting base without the necessity of creasing or folding the same. ln either case, however, the plastic sheet 216' may be brought into engagement and combined with the supporting base 220 by either of the methods heretofore described.

By whatever method the plastic material is associated in the. relationship set forth with the supporting base, the structure as then constituted may either immediately or subsequently be supplied with a coating laycr 37 of weatherproof material, such as asphalt, and this layer may be supplied. either by immersing the sheet or precut strip, in a sheet, so as to produce a product such as illustrated in Figures 1, 3 and 4, this mechanism by suitable modification and by supplying requisite quantities of plastic material, may be employed to form the plastic material over greater or less extent of the faces of the supporting base, such for example as by covering entirely both faces of the supporting base as illustrated in Figure 5.

According to the procedure of Figures 12 to 15, a felted fibrous sheet 40, which preferably is in the form of asphalt satin ated and coated and mineral surfaced roofing felt, may be fed continuously between lower and upper series of coating rolls 41, 41a, for applying adhesive coating material in spaced longitudinal ribbons to the sheet. The coating material, which may be asphalt, is supplied to the underface of the sheet by the rolls 41, which revolve in a bath of the coating material 42,- while the upper face of the sheet is supplied with the coating material from. a suitable reservoir 43 which discharges the saine upon the surface of the upper series of rolls 41a. rlhe sheet thus coated with ribbons of asphalt, then passes between upper and lower series of extruding devices 44, 45 respectively, the discharge ends of which are so arranged as to supply plastic material in ribbons to overlie the asphalt coated areas of the sheets. These coated areas and the ribbons thus applied thereto are preferably of a width corresponding to the width of the exposed areas of the elements to be severed from the sheet, and as clearly shown in Figures 12 and 15, the arrangement is such as to bring into engagement with each face of the sheet, marginal bands of plastic material 21d and an intermediate band 21e ofthe plastic substance, substantially twice as wide as the marginal bands. 1t will be understood, of course, that the intervening areas of the sheet not supplied with the plastic material, are intended to form the uneXposed portions of the completed elements to be severed from the sheet. The sheet carrying the ribbons of plastic material then passes between upper and lower press rolls 46 for forcing the plastic substance into rm engagement with the base. If the plastic material extruded from the extrusion devices 44, 45, is not of desired crosssection, the rolls 46 may be so shaped as to impart the desired cross-section thereto simu ltaneously with the pressing of the plastic material into engagement with the supporting sheet. Thereafter the sheet may be passed through another coating mechanism 47, 47a, similar to that shown at 41, 41a for applying a layer of coating asphalt over the ribbons of plastic material, or over the whole of both faces of the sheet, whereupon the coated sheet may then be passed beneath a showering device 48 for supplying crushed mineral or other surfacing material to the coated areas, The sheet is then looped around press rolls 49 and while in reversed arrangement with the lower face directed upwardly, other mineral grit may be supplied to this face as from a supply boX 50 and the sheet may then be conducted over further press rolls and cooling devicesprior to the severance of roofing elements therefrom. llt will be noted from what has been said with reference to the procedure as shown in Figures 12 and 15, that the plastic material is applied in the form of separate layers to the opposite faces of thc supporting sheet. lnasmuch, however, as it is desirable to have the plastic material extending also around the butt and side edges of the finished elements, I have devised mechanism whereby this consolidation of the plastic material from opposite faces ofthe sheet and around the butt edges ofthe elements, may belaccomplished simultaneously with the severing of the elements from the sheet. As indicated in Figure 12, the sheet is intended to be slit longitudinally thereof along lines 50, 51 and 52, the slit 51 being made centrally through the ribbon 21e and the slits 50 and 52 being made centrally through the areas inter` mediate the bands 21d and 21e. As shown in Figure 13, the slit 51 may be made by the pair of cooperating slitters 51a, formed as rotatable wheels with the knife edge through the central plane thereof and with arcuate surfaces on either side of the knife edge, these arcuate surfaces being so shaped and the co- ,operating knives being so spaced with respect to one another as to force the plastic material from opposite faces of the sheet to consolidate simultaneously with the slitting of the sheet. It will be understood, however, that the slitting operation may precede the consolidating operation, the slitted sections being thereafter passed between suitably shaped rolls whereby the plastic material on opposite sides of the sheet may be forced together and consolidated around the slitted edges, the buttl edge of the finished elements. Similarly, as shown in Figure 14, shaping wheels 53, 53a may be mounted to engage the plastic material at the marginal edges of the sheet upon its opposite faces so as to force the saine around the edges of the sheet and form a continuous layer in the completed element severed therefrom. When operating with the shaping wheels as shown at 53, 53a, it may be desirable, in applying the ribbons of plastic material 21d to the sheet, to furnish the same in such width that. they will overhang the marginal edges of the sheet slightly, as indicated at the left of Figure 14, thereby insuring an ample supply of the plastic material for consolidation around the edges of the sheet.

The operation for consolidating the materia-l from the opposing layers on opposite faces of the sheet as described, will preferably be carried on at a point prior to the second application of coating material, by the coating devices 47, 47a., so that latter coating will extend around the consolidated plastic material on the butt edges of the elements and afford additional protection thereto.- It

, will be understood, however, that in some instances the consolidation of the plastic material around the butt edges of the elements may be postponed to a subsequent po-int in the manufacture', such, for example, as beyond the application of the surfacing material, as at 48 and 49.

Similar procedure may be adopted for consolidating the plastic around the side edges of the element and where the latter is. of the variety, as shown in Figure 1, having tab-dening slots. Somewhat similar procedure may also be adopted in order to cause the plastic material from the opposite faces of the sheet to cover the edges of the tabdening slots 54 which are formed in the sheet prior to the separation of the elements therefrom. For this purpose slotting knives, as shown at 54a in Figure 16, may be employed, these being designed in a manner similar to the slitting and forming wheels 5l, 51a and 53, 53a, that is, with the oppositely directed arcuate faces 547) arranged so as to force the plastic material from the opposite faces of the sheet around the edges of the tab-dening slots simultaneously with tlle formation of the tab-defining slots in the s eet.

Having thus described my invention, it will be manifest that numerous variations and changes may be made therein without departing farom the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In the method of producing roofing units, the steps which comprise applying mastic ribbons composed of a homogeneous mixture of bitumen and ber to opposite faces of a strip of felted brous material and applying pressure to correspondin areas of the ribbons on the opposite faces o the strip to force the mastic into engagement with said faces.

2. In the method of producing roofing units, the steps which comprise applying mastic ribbons composed of bitumen and ber to opposite faces of a strip of felted brous material and applying pressure to corresponding areas of the ribbons on the opposite faces of the strip to force the mastic into engagement with said faces and cause it to assume a tapered cross-section.

3. In the method of producing roofing units, the steps which comprise applying mastic ribbons composed of bitumen and ber to opposite facesI of a strip of felted brous material and applying pressure to corresponding areas of the ribbons on the opposite faces of the strip to consolidate the mastic from the ribbons on the opposite faces of the strip and form a continuous layer extending around an` edge of the strip, applying a coating of waterproof material to the mastic layer and partially imbedding mineral grit in said coating.

4. The method of producing roofing units which comprises coating opposite faces of a sheet of .brous material with spaced bands of adhesive waterproof coating material, applying to the coated areas ribbons of plastic material composed of bitumen and ber, subjecting the ribbons of plastic material upon the sheet to pressure to effect union thereof with the sheet and form the same into desired transverse cross-section, coatin the plastic covered areas of the sheet wit ad'- hesive waterproofing material, partially imbedding mineralI grit in said last named coating and severing roofing elements from the sheet. i

5. In the method of producing building units, the steps which comprise forming a mastic ribbon composed of bitumen and ber,

enfolding said ribbon around one edge of a strip of felted brous material and pressing the enfolded parts of the ribboninto engagement with the opposite faces of said stri 6. In the method of producing buil ing units, the steps which comprise forming a mastic ribbon composed of bitumen and ber, enfolding said ribbon around one edge of a strip of felted brous material, pressing the enfolded parts of the ribbon into engagement with the opposite faces of said strip and simultaneously forming the parts of said ribbon on said opposite faces of the strip into tapering cross-section.

7. In the method of producing building units, the steps which com rise forming a mastic ribbon composed of bltumen and ber, said ribbon having a maximum thickness substantially along its longitudinal median line and tapering towards its opposite marginal edges, enfolding said ribbon around one edge of a strip of felted brous material and pressing the enfolded parts of the ribbon into engagement with the opposite faces of said strip. e

8. In the method of producing building units, the steps which comprise making a plastic mixture comprising bitumen and ber, extruding said mixture in U-shaped formation, inserting a strip of felted brous material between the opposed faces of said formation, and subjecting the whole to pressure whereby to consolidate said formation with the inserted strip.

9. In a method of producing building units, the steps which comprise forming a mastic ribbon from disintegrated asphalt roofing scrap, enfolding said ribbon around one edge of a strip of felted fibrous material and pressing the enfolded parts of the ribbon into engagement with the opposite faces of said strip.

10. In a method of producing building units, the steps which comprise applying a mastic ribbon composed of bitumen and fiber to a portion of both surfaces of the sheet of felted fibrous material, severing` the sheet into strips and simultaneously therewith consolidating the mastic on the opposite faces of said strips.

11. In a method of producing building units, the steps which comprise applying a mastic ribbon composed of bitumen and fiber to a portion of both surfaces of the sheet of felted fibrous material, severing the sheet into strips and simultaneously therewith consolidating the mastic on the opposite faces and i around the cut edges of said strips.

12. 1n a method of producing building units, the steps which'comprise applying a mastic ribbon composed of bitumen and fiber to both faces of a sheet of felted fibrous material, severing elements from the composite sheet and simultaneously therewith consolidating the mastic on` the opposite faces and aroundthe butt edges of the elements.

13. ln a method of producing building units, the steps which comprise, applying a mastic ribbon composed of bitumen and fiber to each face of a sheet of felted fibrous material, severing slotted elements from the composite sheet and simultaneously therewith consolidating the mastic on the opposite faces and around the edges of the slots of said elements.

Signed at Rutherford in the county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey this third day of July, A. D. 1929.

' ES L. WETTLAUFER. 

